1. Field
One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to an apparatus, method and medium measuring skin moisture content, and more particularly, to an apparatus, method and medium measuring skin moisture content, which can more accurately measure skin moisture content by measuring sweat gland activity when measuring the skin moisture content in a stratum corneum of the skin of a user, and thereby taking into account the effect of the sweat gland activity on the skin moisture content, due to stress, for example.
2. Description of the Related Art
As people become more interested in beauty, interest in skin care has also increased. Market demand for products promoting healthy skin affects not only beauty-related businesses, but also affects the growth of medical-related businesses since people need to protect their skin from ultraviolet rays that have become stronger due to the destruction of the ozone layer, and various types of pollutions.
The skin is an organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of epithelial tissues. The main functions of skin include protecting against pathogens, waterproofing, temperature regulation, insulation, and the like. One of the most critical elements to enable the proper performance of the functions of skin is moisture content in a stratum corneum. The moisture content in the stratum corneum is generally called skin moisture content. When maintaining a minimum moisture content in the stratum corneum, to skin is able to perform its basic functions such as protecting against harmful substances like pathogens, and preventing excessive evaporation of skin moisture.
In view of skin care, skin moisture content is considered an essential element. Accordingly, skin moisture management is fundamental to skin care.
According to a conventional art, an electrical measurement technique, an optical measurement technique, and a technique using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are used for measuring skin moisture content. The electrical measurement technique is widely used. More specifically, a method of measuring skin moisture content by measuring susceptance, i.e. an alternating current (AC) component of admittance, of three electrodes using a sinusoidal wave of low frequency is generally used.
Also, sweat gland activity of the skin may be measured via a galvanic skin response (GSR) or an electrodermal response (EDR). The sweat gland activity of the skin may be used to measure a sensibility status or stress of a human body. Generally, sweat gland activity may be measured via a direct current (DC) voltage. Also, a technique of measuring the sweat gland activity via an alternating current (AC) voltage to remove an effect of a contact resistance is currently in use.
As described above, skin moisture content refers to moisture content in only a stratum corneum. Thus, the accurate measurement of the moisture content in the stratum corneum is most important when measuring skin moisture content. Epidermis and corium of skin, excluding the stratum corneum, contain enough moisture at all times. Thus, so that the skin appropriately protects against external environments, it is important that sufficient moisture is contained in the stratum corneum made up of dead cells, for example, Keratin, lipid, and the like.
Although each skin portion has a different density, sweat glands corresponding to sweat paths exist in the stratum corneum. Since the sweat glands contain a great amount of moisture, the sweat glands may affect measurement of skin moisture content. Specifically, the skin moisture content designates a moisture content in the stratum corneum, and sweat glands also exists in the same anatomical area where the skin moisture content is measured. Thus, when sweat gland activity affects the measurement, an error may occur.
As described above, when measuring the skin moisture content, i.e. even when measuring the skin moisture content in any anatomical area of the skin, the most important factor may be to reduce an effect of the sweat glands and thereby measure moisture content in only the stratum corneum. Thus, a method of measuring skin moisture content, which can reduce an effect of the sweat glands and accurately measure skin moisture content in only a stratum corneum when measuring the skin moisture content, and thereby can provide a user with skin moisture content information taking sweat gland activity into account, is required.